Rejected
by mcena99
Summary: It's been about a year and things are going really well in the caves. Will their world be threatened when newcomers dont welcome native hosts with welcome arms. There's a new threat that could change the clans lives. Wanda/Ian
1. Summery READ

Rejected

Here is a bit of info in case you have never read The Host by Stephenie Meyer. If you have read to the book feel free to skip to the bottom to get the whole summery for the story! Thanks!

Summery from the book:

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans, is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too-vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

One of the most compelling writers of our time, Stephenie Meyer brings us a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the very essence of what it means to be human.

Character Info:

**Melanie "Mel" Stryder** -- Melanie is a 20-year-old human who managed to escape capture by the invading souls for years, living on the run. Eventually she is captured, and a soul known as Wanderer is implanted in Mel's body. Mel continues to fight after Wanderer is implanted in her body, speaking to Wanderer and feeding her memories of the people she loves in hopes that Wanderer will one day lead her back to them. Mel likes the feeling of being physically strong and berates Wanderer for neglecting to keep her that way. She has a temper and may be considered volatile compared to docile Wanderer. Melanie is passionately in love with another human named Jared, and shares a strong mother-like bond with her younger brother. She grows to care for Wanderer deeply as a sister, as well. Melanie is described as beautiful, tall and athletic, naturally tan skin, a square face, dark brown hair, and hazel eyes.

**Wanderer/Wanda** -- Wanderer is the invading soul that inhabits Melanie Stryder's body. She received her name due to the number of planets she has lived in, having never settled on one she truly liked. She is later nicknamed "Wanda" by Mel's eccentric Uncle Jeb. Like all souls, she is naturally inclined to do good and is disgusted by violence. She feels incredibly guilty about the unrest her presence causes amongst Melanie's loved ones, and throughout the book she puts others before herself. She feels an initial affection for Jared, Melanie's lover, and Jamie, Mel's little brother, due to the memories she was fed by her host, and eventually develops her own relationship with both of them. She falls in love with Ian O'Shea and feels guilty that she was unable to reciprocate his feelings earlier. Wanderer is several thousand years old and looks like other souls -- a silver centipede-like creature -- but because she inhabits Melanie Stryder, she bears all of Mel's physical characteristics. Later in the book she is implanted in the body of another girl. Her new body is 17 years old but appears younger, and is petite and delicate, with gold hair, freckled skin, and a dimple in her chin.

**Jared Howe** -- Jared is Melanie Stryder's lover. Circumstances always improve for the rebel humans he runs into, due to his great skill. He is seen as loving and somewhat excitable in Melanie's memories, though the loss of her renders him very bitter. He bears a grudge against Wanda and is unable to empathize with her for most of the book. He eventually develops a closer relationship with her in addition to his extreme devotion to Melanie. He is somewhat of a rival to Ian O'Shea, because Ian sees Jared as a competition for Wanda's affections. He is described as physically beautiful, with tan skin, sienna-colored eyes, and sun-bleached hair.

**Ian O'Shea** -- Another of the rebel humans, Ian O'Shea is one of the first of the humans to treat Wanda with anything but hostility. He believes that she is an innocent girl who does not deserve to be punished because she inhabits Melanie's body. He eventually falls in love with Wanda and is shown to be extremely devoted to her. Ian does not get along well with Jared Howe, due partially to Wanda's affection for Jared and partially because of Jared's willingness to harm Wanda for his own personal gain. Ian is the only person who understands how Wanda thinks, and feels responsible for her since she is so self-sacrificing. Ian is described as beautiful, having pale skin, dark hair, and striking blue eyes.

**Jamie Stryder** -- Jamie is Melanie's younger brother, and is about 13 or 14 years old. He develops a relationship with Wanda due to her closeness to his sister; eventually, he develops a strong brotherly bond with Wanda himself. He considers Wanda "angelic" and enjoys her stories about other planets. He is very close to Jared, though their relationship becomes tense due to Jared's shabby treatment of Wanda. Jamie is shown to want to be treated like a man; when he falls ill he is uncomfortable with the coddling he receives and yearns to go on raids with Jared and the other men. He is described as being the only person not to have difficulty with Wanda's transfer into a new body, possibly always seeing Mel and Wanda as two distinct beings. Jamie is described as having shaggy black curls and chocolate brown eyes.

**Uncle Jeb** -- Jeb is Melanie's eccentric uncle. He was one of the first humans to suspect an alien invasion, and thus constructed an elaborate hide-out in caves beneath the Arizona desert. He believes that Wanda can fit in with the humans, and therefore puts both her and the others in very uncomfortable social situation. However, he remains convinced that no one will hurt Wanda due to his habit of strolling around with a gun and warning others that they are in "his house, his rules". Despite his flighty demeanor, he seems to have a handle on everything in the caves and tends to give very good advice. He is described as having a wild beard.

**Doc** -- A tall, slim human rebel that has medical training and serves as the rebels' doctor. He is shown to be compassionate and emotional, though he initially makes Wanda uncomfortable as he seems to view her as more of a science experiment than a person. He has alcohol problems and often gets drunk to drown his sorrow when he fails at a medical task. He has a shaky relationship with Melanie's cousin Sharon; though the issues are not specified, they appear to resolve them at the end of the book. His real name is Eustace.

**Summer for Rejected:**

It's been about a year and things are going really well in the caves. Will their world be threatened when newcomers don't welcome native hosts with welcome arms? There's a new threat that could change the clans lives, some for the good and others for the bad. Will they be able to find a way to save the ones they love or will it be late? Either way Earth will never be the same again. Follow the ups and downs as Wanda's life continues in this crazy world she has fallen for. Watch as her love for Ian grows beyond words. Will they stay together forever?


	2. Choices Made

Choices Made

It's been about a year since I was put into Pet's body. Time has passed so fast that it seems unreal to me. My body is beginning to finally feel stronger now. I can finally pull my weight in chores even though people still tell me I work too much. Well Ian tells me I work too much.

Jaime is growing still and he's beginning to gain on Jared in the height department. Mel is still Mel. We spend so much time together even now that we don't have to. I still find myself lonely at times. I miss having that friendly voice of her in my head even if it meant dealing with the occasional yelling.

Jeb and the others are beginning to get restless. Since we have managed to save about 30 people since the seeker, space is becoming an issue. Rooms are beginning to feel smaller. Raids are longer and more frequent due to the demand of food. That means that I'm almost always on the road now. Sunny was still too much in tune with the ways of souls and she would refuse to leave Kyle's side. Ian is getting more and more protective of me as the job gets more demanding.

As I made my way down to the kitchen my temple began to throb. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It faded and I continued my way down the corridor. I could hear the many voices that filled the room before I even saw the light of the room. I rounded the corner and stopped, just taking it all in. My life finally meant something. I had a home and I was happy.

"Wanda!" Ian waved me over to our usual spot. He already had my plate next to him. The table was already full except for my spot in between Mal and Ian. Jamie sat on the other side with Jared and Jeb. He had this smile on his face as if he had just won an argument. And by the look in Jared's face he had lost.

"What's going on?" I asked, concerned by the situation.

"Oh, nothing much, Jared's just pouting because I told Jamie that he could be the first person to go out tonight and do a round around the perimeter." Jeb chuckled.

"Alone?" I looked from both Jeb to Jaime and then back again. They both avoided my gaze. I looked over at Mel who had a smug look on her face. Jared looked the same way. "He's not going alone."

"I told you she would let you." Jared laughed. Mel stood up and went around the table to my side.

"Sorry champ, but I'm going to have to go with Wanda on this one. There is no chance in hell you're going to go out there by yourself."

"I'm not a kid you know." Jaime huffed.

"We know, but you still are compared to the rest of us." Jared ruffled Jaime's hair playfully, causing Jaime to glare at him even more.

"Sorry kid, but it looks like we're outnumbered." Jeb stood up to bring his plate back.

"But, but uncle Jeb! You're the boss! You tell them!" Jaime stood up.

"I know how to choose my battles, and with those two together, I know better." Jeb laughed louder as he walked away.

"Bu… but, Wanda… please, you have to let me go! I need a chance!" Jaime looked down at me with his pleading eyes. I almost gave in but Mel cleared her throat.

"Here's the deal. You go out tonight with Jared and He'll let you run the show. If you do good, then you can go on your own next week, deal?"

"Fine…" Jamie threw up his hands and walked away in defeat.

I smiled as I watch him leave. He really was growing up. But He would always be Jaime to me, the little boy that gave my life with hope from the beginning.

**Later That Night:**

"You look tired." Ian commented as he wrapped his arms around my waist as we walked back to our room for the night. I still got butterflies whenever he touched me. I had to remind myself to breath.

"I am. I'm not sure why though. I didn't really do much today. I just helped around the kitchen. And then I helped Doc with a few odds and ends." I shrugged.

"It may not seem like a lot compared to when you were with Mel, but it's a lot for you know." Ian kissed my forehead. He got defensive whenever I mentioned I felt that I wasn't pulling my weight around the caves.

"Please don't start that right now."

"Fine, I'll drop it. But you have to stop beating yourself up over this Wanda. It's not healthy." He pulled me closer. I sighed and knew that he was right. But I was right to. This body just didn't feel right.

We continued walking down the hall in silence. I knew that I had upset him again. I felt horrible. The rooms around use were all quiet due to everyone getting ready for bed. Jamie and Jared had left a half hour earlier. They should be due back just before dawn. I smiled at Doc and Sharon as they passed us. Sharon still refused to talk to me or even look at me for that matter. I felt a twinge inside every time I felt her glare at me. I still felt guilty for what happened to the humans on the behalf of my kind. I would find a way to make it up to them. Even in this incompetent body I would find a way to make it up to them.


	3. Raid

**Hey everyone! I do not own the Host, I just own the plot and some new people... I see that a lot of people have been reading but not reviewing! Please Review! The more reviews the faster the update!! Special thanks to Hikari-Kayko and minimonkeyrox for the awesome reviews! your great!**

Raid

Mel stood there with her hands on her hips and I couldn't help but smile. Jared and Ian stood on the other side with grim looks on their faces. They knew that there was no way they were going to win this argument.

"I'm telling you guys. I will be way easier if it's just Wanda and I on this round." Mel stated yet again for the hundredth time.

"No. Absolutely not," Jared snapped back.

"I agree." Ian added in.

"Well look at that they agreed for once." Mel rolled her eyes.

"Mel does have a point guys. She's a lot easier to hide if something happened." I added into the growing conversation. I could feel the tension in the air as Jared and Ian looked at Mel and me.

"And that's exactly why you're not going alone. If something were to happen, you wouldn't have us there to protect you." Ian countered.

"We're going whether you like it or not Ian, and Jared you know that I am more than capable of taking care of myself." Mel said.

"And look at where it got you last time Melanie." Jared spit out. Mel's mouth fell open and she looked over at me. I wasn't quite sure what to make of what just happened.

"Wanda…" Jared stepped towards me.

"No, it's true." I held up my hand to keep him from me. I stepped back and looked at Ian. I smiled at him and looked at the ground. It always seemed to come back this. The points were someone would say something about being an outsider, and then they would look at me with pity in their eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Jared sighed.

"No really, you have a point." I stepped back farther. "You should really listen to him Mel."  
"Wanda, wait." I heard Ian come after me.

"Don't say anything. Please, just don't." I let him follow me into our room. The tears fell from eyes even though I was trying my hardest to make them stop. I stepped into the room and the darkness welcomed me with open arms.

The tears came harder when I felt Ian wrap his around me from behind. There was so way to hide it. My body shook as the tears came harder. Ian didn't say anything as he led me to the bed. We lay next to each other, his arms around me and my head buried into his chest.

_I must have fallen asleep at some point. When I woke up I was alone in bed. It was still late due to the fact that I could see the stars through our little crack in the ceiling. I got up and pulled on a sweatshirt. I was cold even thought it must have been about 75 degree. My body could not stop shaking. _

_I ventured out into the hallway. It was empty. I couldn't make sense of it. It was so quiet. And I was alone. I went from room to room, there was no one..._

"_Ian! Mel!" I yelled as loud as I could. "Jamie! Jared!"_

_No answer._

_I ran to the entrance and out into the night. There was still no sign of anyone…_

_And then out of the corner of my eye I saw it. The seeker, she was back and laughing. But it didn't make any sense. We saved her, removed her from Lacey body. But here she was staring back at me with joy on her face._

"_So how does it feel Wanderer? To know that in the end it didn't matter anyway, to know that they would win and we would all be destroyed." She shook her head but the smile stayed in place._

"_What do you mean?" I asked._

"_It's simple. This is death… stuck here where there is nothing. All alone with nothing but memories…"_

_And then she was gone. _

_I stood there alone and just watched the place that she had once been. But there was nothing…_

"Wanda!"

I sat up and looked around. Mel stood over me. My heart rate slowed as I realized it was all just a dream.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're leaving that's what's going on. We have a raid to do." She smiled down at me. She always got excited about raids. She described it as 'the rush of going in right under their noses'. That's Mel for you.

"Oh, okay." I crawled out of bed and pulled on a clean shirt.

"You know he didn't mean it right." Mel said from behind me. This time her voice was gentle, softer.

"I know." I murmured.

"He loves you, you know, in your own way. We all do."

"I know."

When we left Ian hugged me tighter than usual. I didn't know what to make of it. Was it for the argument earlier? Or did they really believe that we could do this on our own. But then again if Ian didn't think we could do it then I would definitely not be leaving right now. That's for sure. So I took the hug as a sign of apology and accepted it.

It was a slow two days. I had the same dream both nights we were gone. I don't think Mel had noticed that I was having them, which was for the best. That would mean I wouldn't have to explain myself to Ian when we got back.

So far we had managed to get a majority of what was needed. The only thing that was left was the perishable food. That was out last stop on or way back to the caves, back to our family.

"Well last stop." Mel sighed from the back seat of the near full van. I could tell from the sound of her voice she was just as ready to go home as I was. I pulled into the grocery store and climbed out of the door. The sun seemed extra hot today as it bore down on my now sun burnt skin.

As I walked in the store, the cool air that greeted me at the door was comforting. But it was quiet, to quiet. I looked around and there was no one in sight. There wasn't even someone at the counter to help customers. It was like the place had been deserted. I didn't like the feeling so I turned around without grabbing anything and headed back to the van. I was half way across the parking lot when I was suddenly grabbed from behind.

"What are you doing here still?!" the man yelled at me.

I stared at him in shock. Not only was the man a host, but he was yelling and physically grabbing me.

"Let go of me!" I panicked.

"It's not safe for us anymore." He stammered. "The bodies are rejecting us. There is no cure. We have to go while we still can!" he dragged me farther away.

"Mel!" I yelled as loud as I could.

Then there was this horrible bang. The force from the shot made me fall over. The man fell on top of me and didn't move. It felt like time had frozen. I lay there, forgetting to breath. I could feel the warmth of his blood pouring onto my body. The smell of the iron filled my nostrils.

"Wanda!" I heard Mel yell from somewhere close to me. I felt the body being lifted off me.

"Wanda, talk to me." Mel leaned over me and demanded.

"I… I…" I stammered but the words just wouldn't come out.

"Jeez, are you hurt?" She ran her hands all over my body checking my limbs for any holes.

"No." I managed to say.

"Come on we have to get out of here." Mel picked me up off the ground with no problem. I couldn't seem to get my legs to work. Mel put me in the passenger seat and then jumped into driver seat. She sped out of town all the while glancing over in my direction. The ride back to the cave seemed to be faster than usual. When Mel stopped the van I opened the door and fell to my knees on the ground. The smell was more than I could bear. I felt hands on my shoulders. My ears began to ring.

"Help Me!" I heard Mel yell from beside me, my weight all leaning against her. I could barely keep my head off the ground.

I heard voices as they came out of the cave.

"What the hell happened?!" Ian yelled as he ran to my side. I felt Mel stand up to give him room. "Wanda? Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" I felt his hands checking my body.

"It's not her blood." Mel said.

"Who's is it then!" Jared yelled.

"I don't know who in the hell he was!" Mel yelled back.

"You just gave them an excuse to come hunt us down Mel. You completely blew it." Kyle said.

"Screw you Kyle. I did what I thought I had to do. I did what I hope the rest of you would have done!"

"Let's bring this inside people." Jeb broke in.

I felt Ian lift me into his arms. I kept my eyes closed and concentrated on breathing out of my mouth. I could here the gasps of the others as we made our way deeper into the caves.

"What on Earth happened?!" I heard the shock and horror in doc's voice as we must have entered his office. Ian laid me gently on the table.

"I think she might be in shock." Mel informed him. At this point I think she might have been right. My mind seemed to be in a fog, and I couldn't find my way out.

"Wanda, can you open your eyes for me?" Doc asked.

I shook my head no.

"Why not?"

"I can't. If I do I'm going to be sick." I answered. "Can someone get me a new shirt?"

"Already got it." I heard Jamie come running into the room. I felt Ian's hand on my shoulder and he helped me sit up. I felt him pull off my blood soaked shirt over my head.

"It's just Ian and I." I heard me say from beside me. "We're going to wash you up first."

Ian's gentle strokes with the wet washcloth were comforting. His hands are familiar. I felt the cleansing water as it washed away the evidence of the horrid event.

"I'll give you guys some time." I opened my eyes and watched Mel walk out of the room.

"Are you okay?" Ian gently pulled my chin upwards. He looked into my eyes and I could see the pain and the worry.

"I think so." I sighed. The emotional overload finally took it toll on my body and I felt drained. I leaned over and rested my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me as if to protect me from the world.

"You look exhausted."

"I am." I mumbled, already half asleep in his arms.

"I'll bring you to bed." I heard him chuckle before picking me up and heading back into the corridor. I heard the faint mummers of people around me, but my mind was already reseeding into itself.

My body relaxed when I felt the familiar comfort of our bed beneath me.

"I need you to stand up for just a minute."

I did as I was told. Ian helped me change into pajamas. Then tucking me into the warmth of the soft blanket, he crawled in beside me, once again pulling me into his arms.

"I was so scared." Ian whispered. "When I saw you on the ground covered in blood. It was like my heart just stopped."

"I'm sorry." I sleepily mumbled into his side.

"I love you."

"I love you to."

**In the next chapter the group faces a huge choice that may cost someone their life... Please Review!! Thanks again! ~mcena99**


	4. Realizations

**Hi Everyone!! Thanks so much for the reviews **Hikari-Kayko, LoveXdarling, and minimonkeyrox!!! **you guys are awesome!!!! And to those of you who have my story on your alert list but havent commented, please do so! Well here's the next chapter I hope you all enjoy! I'm hoping to get another chapter out before tuesday, but if that doesnt happen there will be an extra long if not 2 chapters on Sunday the 30th! Happy holidays people! **

Realizations

I could hear far away voices as they filled the room around me. I recognized the hush whispers as Mel and Ian's voices.

"Ian this is bad." Mel said.

"I still don't understand what you mean."

"I don't even understand what I mean." Mel sighed.

"There has to be some sort of mistake. You might have heard wrong." Ian sounded frantic, on the verge of a breakdown.

"Ian, I know what I heard. Believe me I don't like the sounds of it anymore that you do. Jeb and Jared went out to check on damage control to see if anything happened in town since yesterday. They'll come back with some answers. They have to." Mel assured him.

"Fine." I heard Ian come back into the room. He stood there for a moment. I could feel his gaze on me even though my eyes were still closed. I felt the bed shift under his weight as he sat down.

"Wanda?" He whispered.

"Hum?"

"What did he say?"

"What do you mean?"

"The man, the soul, the one who grabbed you. What did he say?" Ian asked. I kept my back to him. The words flooding into my mind and bringing reality back into my mind.

"_What are you doing here still?!" the man yelled at me._

_I stared at him in shock. Not only was the man a host, but he was yelling and physically grabbing me._

"_Let go of me!" I panicked._

"_It's not safe for us anymore." He stammered. "The bodies are rejecting us. There is no cure. We have to go while we still can!" he dragged me farther away._

"There's something wrong with the souls in the host bodies. I don't know what though. He said something about being rejected. He asked me what I was still doing here, like they were evacuating or something." I told him, still facing the wall. "He looked so scared. He grabbed me, and I didn't know what to think. I couldn't believe another soul was using force. It wasn't normal. Then…" my voice broke. I felt Ian's hand on my shoulder. He gently pulled me around to face him.

"Then what?" He whispered.

"Then I yelled. I was scared so I yelled for Mel and then all of a sudden there was this loud bang and it was like the world just stopped. We fell to the ground and I couldn't breath, couldn't think. Mel came running over and on the way back here it was like I blanked out. When we got here I opened the door and I went to get out, I needed to get out. But my legs wouldn't work and I just fell. Then I heard you and I was so relieved."

"I'll always be here for you, no matter what. Jared and Jeb are out. They went to find some answers."

We just laid there, thinking over the words to ourselves. Neither quite sure what to say.

"Guys?"

"Come in Jamie." Ian said. I watched as Jamie came into the room. He looked pale and tired.

"There back." He barely said. I could tell right away he was shaken up. I felt Ian stiffen beside me. My heart began to race.

"Come on." Ian got off the bed and held out his hand for mine. I followed silently behind him and Jamie down the corridor. It was quiet, again to quiet…

I could hear the voices as we approached the game room. Everyone was present as we walked into the open room. I felt everyone's eyes turn to us and the voices faded. Once again I felt like an outcast. But the grip of Ian's hand reassured my heart yet again of everyone's love.

"What did you figure out?" Ian asked with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"You might want sit down." Jared answered. His face was blank. There was no hint as to what they had found.

I knew it must have been true then.

"Just say it Howe." Ian simple stated, leaving no room for delay.

"All of the towns around here are deserted. We turned on one of the televisions at an abandoned house and apparently there's some sort of… I don't even know what to call it." He ran his hands through his now shaggy brown hair.

"It's like a disease." Jeb jumped into the conversation. "It's infecting all of the souls in this area and the bodies are rejecting the souls. We don't know how but if I had to guess it would be painful." He looked me in the eyes. I looked down at the floor, not sure what to do with myself.

"They think it might be man made. Something that's distributed in the air in clusters." Jared added.

"The only other people who have been around this part are Nate and his group. But they wouldn't do anything like this. They have Burns." Melanie said. I watched as she shifted her weight from foot to foot, her body swaying back and forth ever so slightly with nervousness.

"Well we have to something." Kyle said from beside Doc. Sunny was pulled closely to his side, her eyes wide with confusion. We looked at each other. Neither sure of what to say.

"Like what!" Ian snapped.

"Get them out of here. If it's happening here then they obviously shouldn't be here. We need to get them in the clear." Kyle shot back.

"Where will we go?" I asked. Ian looked down at me and pulled me tighter. Everyone just stood there.

"We'll take them to Nate's. They'll be safer in the mountains." Mel broke the silence.

"I don't know Mel. Maybe we should all stay here. Nothings happened here." I added. The thought of leaving made me feel faint. The panic in my body made it self known as my body began to tremble. It's been so long and I still have no control over my emotions.

"There's no need to be hasty people." Jeb tried to calm the rising panic.

"But Jeb, this might be the only answer! We can't wait until it's too late!" Mel yelled.

"Mel," Jeb hushed her. "We don't know what going on yet. Give us time to put something together." Jeb sat on the grass. Everyone followed his example. Ian pulled me onto his lap and I just listened…

Two hours passed before the clan came to a decision and decided it would be for the best if we went to fond Nate's group. The whole time I just sat there and watched as the people around me decided the fate that Sunny and I were obligated to follow.

"Wanda," Jeb turned to me as everyone began to rise and make their way to their rooms.

"Yeah?" I half yawned.

"I want to talk to you alone for a moment please."

"I'll wait for you in the hall." Ian promised. Jeb waited until everyone was gone from the room before turning to me.

"I don't want Ian to hear this cause I know he would freak out. But I wanted to ask you if you've been feeling okay?" he looked me dead in the eye. "You know, since the raid and everything. I think there's a really good possibility that you were exposed to whatever it is that's out there."

"I… I don't really know. I've been really tied but that's normal for me." I honestly answered him. I thought back to the headaches that have been becoming a daily thing. But those had started before the raid.

"Are you sure?" He kept his eyes intense as if waiting for any sign of me lying. Not that I was any good at it anyways. I nodded my head.

"Okay," he sighed and looked at the entrance of the room, "Ian must be pacing by now. Go get some rest. It'll be early when you all leave in the morning." He half hugged me and walked away in the opposite direction. I stood there for a moment, soaking in the information that had all been thrown on me over the last 48 hours. There was god knows what going around, doing horrible things to the host, driving them insane within themselves.

That's when it hit me that we were actually leaving. A small group of us is leaving our home. Mel, Jared, Sunny, Kyle, Ian and myself, just picking up first thing in the morning to go out into the open and find a possible answer about the lives that faced us now.

I looked around the field one more time, thinking back to all the soccer games that have gone on in this simple room. Those were the wonderful times that everyone was able to just get together and forget the world that they hid from. During that time they were untouchable. I would miss this field, I just hoped that I would be able to see it again one day.

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!! thanx! ~mcena**


	5. Only the Beginning

Only the Beginning

**Hey Everyone! I know I promised this chapter to be out yesterday, but I'm kinda stuck. I know where I want to go but I'm a little lost on how to get there… Anyways, thanks for the awesome reviews!! There are now 13 people on my alerts list for this story which is awesome!! A special thanks to ****minimonkeyrox****, ****LoveXdarling****, ****SkateBlinder****, ****baybegrl0703****, and ****Hikari-Kayko**** for the reviews! You all rock and make me really love putting my creations out there… So read and review my faithful readers!!**

We've been on the road now for 3 hours. No one has really said anything; it's like we don't know what to really do with ourselves. We left this morning before the sun even came up which is the normal routine. The van was given to us as the safest and biggest vehicle that would allow us so travel smoothly to the seclusion of the mountains and Flathead Lake in Polson Montana. The amount of time that the trip was estimated to take was about 20 hours, give or take.

I thought back to the screams of Jaime as he begged to come along with us. But this was something we all agreed on. Jaime was to stay back in the caves. He would be needed know, especially with the strongest men all leaving. Plus known of us knew were it was that we were actually going. We weren't even sure how things would turn out once we got there.

"Wanda?"

I looked up from the stain I was staring at on the floor. Ian was looking down at me. I could tell by the look on his face he was wondering how I was taking this whole situation. I just looked back down at the floor. The truth was that I wasn't quite sure about how I felt. I was numb.

I couldn't get my brain to think as I felt the smoothness of the pavement below us as we traveled down the highway. I count think of what the future might hold, not only for me but the people around me. I watched their faces and expressions as we made our way farther from the comforts and the safety of our home. I watched as Sunny and Kyle sat in the seat behind us. They hadn't said much since we left this morning; they just kept their hands together as they watched out the back windows. Mel and Jared shred their own private laughs and conversation in the front of the van. Ian sat beside me and went back and forth from looking out the window to looking at me. I felt guilty for not wanting to talk to him about my feelings just yet. For some reason I felt self conscious in front of the others. Like voicing my fears might in some way make them come true or falter the hopes of the people I loved. I needed to be strong, for them.

After Driving for another 6 hours, we decided to pull over and take a breather while stretching our sore muscles. Ian looked down at me as I leaned against the van and stared at my feet.

"That's it." He said and grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the group.

"Ian." I tried to pull away, but couldn't.

"Wanda, something's obviously wrong. Please tell me what it is. It's killing me not knowing what's going through your head."

"It's just…" I looked down at the ground again. I wasn't sure how to tell him what was going on in my head. "I just don't know right now. I don't know anything. I hate the fact that we had to leave and that it was all because of me. I hate the fact that people are dying, both humans and souls. I feel like everything's getting turned upside down and there's nothing I can do about it."

"That's normal." Ian gave me a half smile.

"No, it's not normal. I don't… I just… I don't know." I gave up.

"Wanda, first of all it's not your fault that we left. We left as a group decision. And as cruel and horrible as it may sound, death is normal and natural." He looked up the deserted dirt road when he said this. I could tell from the lack of eye contact that he didn't really believe this. He knew what I meant about dying. The fact that I was against peoples will and it was not natural.

"Okay. That's all I needed to hear." I began to walk to the edge of the road towards the river down the hill.

"Wanda," I heard his come after me. "Don't lie to me. I know that that's not what you wanted to hear. I just think that we should stop worrying about the world and worry about us right now. We have our own problems and we need to fix them. Then you can worry about the rest of the world. Deal?" He laughed when I looked up at him. I wasn't quite sure what look I was giving him. I stood there for a few seconds soaking in the worlds that just came out of his mouth and the fact that he thought I was basically overreacting.

"This is not funny! It's far from funny okay! Don't laugh at me because I finally told you how I felt. You keep trying to protect me and right now I don't really want to be protected. I don't even know what I'm being protected from!" I walked away. I didn't hear him follow me this time and in a way I was actually relieved. I walked further down the bank of the river until I was around the bend and could no longer see everyone.

I couldn't believe that I just yelled. I yelled at Ian because I was mad. Mad was not something that I was supposed to feel. Yes, it's a natural human emotion to have but as a soul we are supposed to block out this feeling and substitute it with understanding and acceptance. Well that was obviously not the case in that situation.

I finally stopped walking and sat down on a log that was close enough to the waters edge to throw stones into the water. So there I sat and reflected on my actions and felt ashamed. Tears burned my eyes as I fought to keep them back. But I lost the fight and the tears fell freely down my cheeks. I heard footsteps behind me and quickly wiped my face dry. I glanced over and watched as Mel sat next to me. She didn't say anything for a few minutes as we both just stared at the opposite side of the river.

"I head you yelling at Ian." She finally turned to me. I looked into the eyes that I had once shared with her. I longed to be in her again and share my feeling and knowledge with her. I missed having her input in every situation even if we didn't agree.

"I don't know what came over me. I couldn't help it. I didn't want to hurt him but at the same time I'm hurting everyone."

"Wanda, the only person you're hurting right now is you. You keep beating yourself up and you forget that we're all adults perfectly capable of making our own decisions." Mel wrapped her arms around me.

"I can't help it. It's like I can't control my mind or my emotions anymore. The more I try the harder it gets. It takes so much out of me. I feel drained all the time." I sniffled as fresh tears made there way down my cheeks to show my frustration.

"You keep working yourself to hard. You need to get some sleep and enjoy some of the time that you have right now. Enjoy it while you can. Life's short and what you have with Ian is a gift." She pulled me closer and I buried my head deeper into her shoulder. I knew she was right.

"Better?" She asked as she pulled away. I shook my head yes.

"Good, let's get back before they send a search party." Mel laughed as she grabbed my hand and we walked together almost like old times.

I continued to stare at the stain on the floor as the hours went by and the heat faded. Mountains began to form around us in lush green. The smell of the fresh air was welcoming. The day was quickly fading into night and by the time we pulled off the exit and made our way into the small town of Polson. All was quiet and the town almost seemed deserted. All around us there was cars with the doors left open. Lights left on…

"I think we should pull over." Kyle said from the backseat. I could feel the tension as Jared pulled over to the side of the road. It was around midnight and this was just not normal.

"Stay in the van." I said and reached for the handle of the door.

"Wanda. No." Ian grabbed my arm. I pulled away.

"I'll go check it out. Have Sunny get in the drivers' seat and the rest of you get in the back, just in case someone comes out." I opened the door and jumped to the ground and took a quick look around. I closed the door behind me and gave Ian a small smile before it closed completely. I turned and looked around and made my way over to the first house in front of us. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the van on me.

I knocked on the door and waited. There was nothing. I knocked again, still nothing. I turned the knob and wasn't surprised to find it unlocked.

"Hello?" I called through the doorway. There was no answer. I stepped through the door and walked farther into the living room that was brightly lit. I made my way into the kitchen/dining room. On the table there were plates filled with rotting food. As if the people had disappeared just before they ate. My mind was screaming at me to back away, to run back to the van and just go back to the caves. But I couldn't get my feet to listen. I walked forward, the door to the basement was open and the light was on. I stood at the top of the stair case and just listened. I made my feet continue forward on step at a time. I got about half way down the staircase and my nose filled with this almost sweet smell. I felt lightheaded and the walls around me began to swim. I looked down at the floor and there laid a family by the looks of it. A man and a woman, both with black hair were on the ground. A little boy was in between them. I could tell they were dead and that we had made a mistake. Whatever was happening in Arizona was happening here as well.

I turned away from the sunken in faces and crawled to the top of the stairs. I pulled myself up and took a step forward falling into the table causing the plates and glasses to fall to the ground smashing. I fell to my knees.

"Wanda!" I heard someone yell. They must have heard the crash of the table. My arms were shaking and I was barely able to hold myself up any longer when Ian, Kyle, and Jared came running into the room. Ian ran to my side.

"Are you okay?" he asked franticly, his hands on both side of my face.

"Air," I managed to gasp. My mind was beginning to drift. It was as if my head was floating and no matter what I did I couldn't ground myself. "In the basement," I managed to say before Ian pulled me effortlessly into his arms.

Both Kyle and Jared were looking at me and then as if realizing what I had said they took off down the stairs. Ian brought me outside. He laid me on the lawn and opened my eyes farther. Mel and Sunny were both at my side in seconds.

"Don't go in there." I said to Sunny. As if catching on to what I was saying, Sunny's eyes grew big and she backed away a little. At the same time Jared and Kyle came back outside.

"There are three of them in there, all dead." Jared filled in the others.

"How do you feel?" Kyle asked as he knelt by my head.

"Light headed." I coughed. "I was fine and then I got half way down the stairs and I smelt something sweet almost and next thing you know the walls are closing in on me and I couldn't breath."

"You smelt something sweet?" Jared looked confused. I nodded my head.

"All we could smell was rotting flesh and believe me, it's not sweet." Kyle added.

"What do we do?" Sunny squeaked from behind Mel. Everyone looked down at me. My eyes were getting heavy as the effects of whatever it was sunk deeper into my system.

"Come on. We have to keep going. The best thing we can do is get them away from here. We have to find Nate's and fast." Jared stood up. I felt Ian lift me off the ground as sleep overtook me…

_Screams filled my ears from the drug induced fog that I had been drifting in. I stopped suddenly and dug my heels in trying to get my bearings. _

_There was an open door in front of me and there was a hand on my shoulder pushing me towards it. To my right I saw the seeker again. She looked down upon me with disgust._

"_No please," I whispered. "I don't want to go in there." _

"_It's all right. You're not alone. I'm here with you." She said as if trying to comfort me. _

"_No." I tried to escape the hand on my shoulder. But the grip tightened. _

"_You only have to go down there for a couple minutes." She said coaxingly. "Just step inside and look around. Think about what you see."_

"_No."_

"_She doesn't look very calm." A voice said from behind me._

_Damn right, I'm not calm. I opened my mouth and shrieked._

"_Stop it." She grabbed me and shook. "Stop it. You're losing control."_

_Whatever, anything to keep from going down there, the basement was dark this time and the screams were only getting louder._

_I screamed louder._

"Wanda!"

My eyes flew open and I was half sobbing. Ian was leaning over me. I could feel the perspiration getting cold over my body. My heart was racing. I looked around me trying to figure out where I was. I was in the van. They had laid me on the backseat. I looked out the window and noticed we weren't moving anymore.

"Hey," Ian said softly putting his hand on the side of my face gently rubbing his thumb back and forth. "It was just a dream."

"Where are we?" my voice cracked. My throat was dry and my eyes burned. It was hard to breath. Every time I sucked in a breath, it was like breathing in dry heat that burned my lungs. But I could feel the coolness in the air.

"We're at the stopping point. This is where we start walking." Ian answered and wiped my face with a cool washcloth. I sighed as the coolness brought both relief and pain. My body was shaking with the chills. I looked down and realized that I was covered in blanket that had been stored in the back to hide under. The blanket didn't help.

"I don't feel so good." I coughed.

"I know." Ian's eyes filled with pain. "You've been in and out of it since the house. You have a fever that isn't really going down. I just need you to take it easy for now. Get some rest." He bent down and kissed my forehead. I didn't need to be told twice as sleep overcame me again. This time I slept with no dreams at all.

**Remember to Review!! i'll try to have another update asap... but finals are coming up and things are getting kinda crazy around here on campus. So let me know what you think and who knows, maybe the more reviews I get the sooner the update! ~mcena99**


	6. I'll Carry You

**Hi Everyone!!! I know it's been a while and I am very sorry for that. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, you are amazing! **

**I'll carry you**

I could hear the buzz of voices around me, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I could feel the touches of hands on me. I could tell the difference between Ian and Mel's hands, both soft and gentle. I found that comforting.

Hot and cold, first one and then another. I never seem to get the in between… But I was lucky now. There were no dreams…

Ian's POV

I sat there and just watched helplessly as Wanda's fever got worse. The van doors were open allowing a fresh breeze to blow through with the fresh mountain air. I watched over her all night as her skin became like fire under my hands. The sweat began to soak her clothes. I never thought I could feel any worse than when Wanda first came to the caves and we were all so horrible to her. But I was wrong. I felt the pain of not knowing what was happening to the woman I loved as I watched her suffer.

"Ian," Jared walked over to the backdoors of the van, "We should get moving soon. We need to get as far away from here as possible and we need to get to Nate's."

"Screw you Jared. We can't leave. Not with Wanda like this." I snapped.

"They might know something we don't! Ian, they might now how to save her!"

"She's not dying!" I looked back down at her and my heart ached. I had to do whatever I could to get her better.

"Okay." I agreed.

"Great. I'll go tell the others. We'll leave in the next hour."

I watched as Jared walked away. I looked down when I heard Wanda murmur my name.

"Hey. Wanda can you hear me?" I whispered shifting my weight so her head was in my lap.

"Ian." I watched her eyes slowly opened.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired and cold."

I pulled the blanket closer around her. She looked pale.

"Here, how about I help you sit up and you can have a drink." I carefully pulled her onto my lap and handed her a bottle of cold water.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked once she took a few sips.

"Just through the night." I told her, holding her close. "We're actually getting ready to leave. We need to get to Nate's as soon as possible. We can't stay out in the open like this anymore, just in case."

"Okay. That sounds like a plan. I don't think I can walk that far though."

"You aren't going to walk. I'm gonna carry you."

"Thanks." Wanda murmured before drifting back to sleep.

We ended up leaving fifteen minutes later, with nothing but food and water. I had Wanda wrapped in her blanket in my arms and we made our way off to the edge of the lake. Once we got there, there was supposed to be a hidden trail that leads to a narrow cove that is hidden from the rest of the lake. Once there, we headed North up the mountainside.

"Let's stop and take a break." Kyle suggested once we got about a mile into the forest.

"How is she?" Mel asked as I sat on the ground cradling Wanda in my lap. She was still so little and fragile.

"No different." I gently wiped the sweat that ran down the side of her face. Her blonde hair was sticking to the sides of her face.

Mel looked down at Wanda, sadness and pain was written all over her face. A mirror of myself…

We finally made it to the area of the mountain that was described to us. Jared guided us into the cave opening were we were greeted by group that had watched us travel up the mountainside.

"Jared." Nate greeted as he made his way to the front of the crowd. "I was expecting that you would come sooner or later."

"Can you blame us with all this craziness that is going on around us?" Jared shook Nate's hand.

"No, I guess I can't." He shook his head. Then he stopped and his lips parted as if in shock. "What happened to Wanda?" He ran over to Ian side.

"We had a run in down in the town with whatever the shit is that's doing this. It hit her like a ton of bricks and we were hoping you would know how to help." Ian asked his voice on the verge of cracking.

"Ian, as much as I don't want to tell you this, we have no idea how to stop it." Nate ran his hand over his face and sighed in frustration.

"What do you mean?" Mel asked, looking at him in disbelief.

"We don't know what it is or what it does Mel. All we know is that it kills. I know that is worse when the dose is smaller." Everyone was looking at Nate with looks of pain, shock, and anger as he told the newcomers all that he knew.

"Why is it worse?" Jared asked even though he was afraid to know the answer.

"Because they die slower."

***At the Cave***

Jamie sat at the lookout station and looked up at the stars. He was still mad that the others had left without him and hadn't even bothered to say goodbye. Yeah he knew that he would have fought to have gone with them but that still didn't make it right. What if something happened and he wasn't able to say goodbye.

"Shut up and don't think like that." He said to himself.

There was a distant light towards the East all of a sudden. Jamie watched as the light bobbed around the desert ground below. After watching a few more minutes he finally stood and ran back to the entrance of the cave to get the others.

"Uncle Jeb!" Jamie called down the dark corridor as he ran with all he could.

"What's up?" Jeb asked as he came towards him from the opposite end of the hallway.

"A light towards the East," Jamie gasped. "Coming this way."

Jeb and the rest of the troop that had been assembled waited at the top of the mountain covered by the darkness of the night as they watched the light come closer.

"They look like they know the way." Jeb whispered at no one in particular.

"Do you think its Mel and Jared?" Jaime asked.

"It's too early for them to be back. They would just be getting to the others by now." Jeb answered him.

"What if they turned around? What if something happened and they had to come back!" Jamie began to think of the worst and began to fidget.

"Jaime sit still or you're going back. It's not them. I can tell because they would have given some sign by now." Jeb kept his eye on the moving light as it came even closer. The only thing he wanted to know was who it was and how they knew where to find them. He wasn't fond of there location floating among the outer limits. It was to dangerous and there was to much to loose now.

***Montana***

I could here the faint whispers of voices around me as the fog began to lift a little. Some of them were familiar and others I had never heard before.

"Ian?" I coughed. I felt his hand on my forehead. It felt cool against my burning skin.

"Hey." He whispered from beside me. I opened my eyes and saw the forced smile on his face.

"Water?" I coughed again. I winced as he helped me sit up and helped me sip from a cup. Every limb felt like it weighed a ton. My head screamed in protest to the sudden movements and my stomach did flips as I fought to keep the little fluid that I could down.

"Where are we?" I looked around the room. There was a lamp that was run off electricity that lit up the room. I was on a bed that was small. I guess it wasn't really a bed, more of a cot. The walls were painted a simple white color and there were no windows.

"We're at Nate's." Ian answered as brushed his lips on my forehead.

"Oh." I laid back down and closed my eyes for a bit. The room had begun to spin a little. The fog began to get heavier the more I fought to stay awake. "How's Burns?"

I listened to the hesitation as Ian thought about his answer. That's when I knew that I was not going to be the first one of my friends to die. One have them was already gone.

**I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed! Sry again for the wait! I'm hoping things will start to slow down a little here so I can write more. A special thanks to ****BeCullen1**** for giving me the extra push to get this chapter out! Please Review!**

**Thanks! **

**Mcena99**


	7. Chapter 7

Hey Everyone,

Sorry that there have been no new updates in forever. To be honest, things are really crazy in my life at the moment. I'm going to try my best to use my stories as an escape from it all so I'm going to try and reconnect with what I have written in the past. I'm hoping there will be some new updates within the next few weeks. I have a month left before my college semester ends and summer begins so it will be a month at the latest.

Special thanks to those who posted messages and comments that made me rethink my writing and pushed me to continue.

3

Mcena99


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